Herschel Walker Will Make MMA Debut In Sunrise

Herschel Walker may be the greatest athlete of our lifetimes, a modern-day Jim Thorpe of sorts. Now Walker, who will turn 48 next year, is bringing that athleticism to South Florida. And by "athleticism," of course I mean some blend of Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, and ballet ass-kicking ability.

That's right, first he was a Heisman trophy winner at Georgia. Then he was a New Jersey General (and Donald Trump employee). Then when the USFL folded, he became a Dallas Cowboy until the biggest trade in the history of the league.

Now he's a mixed martial artist, fighting with StrikeForce. And his first fight will take place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, on January 30.

Yeah, well, nobody knows who he'll be fighting yet. Strikeforce officials say his opponent will be announced in one of their upcoming Showtime fights. Tickets will go on sale starting December 7, though.

At 6'1 and more than 220 pounds, Walker is a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. (That means this fifth degree can spin 180 degrees and give you a kick that will leave a 45-degree dent in your face and knocking you out--zero degrees--cold.) But he's also been training apparently, at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.

Of course Walker has been making headlines off the field since his early days as a running back. Walker famously studied ballet while playing, saying it helped his limberness and agility. In 1989, he was the key participant in the biggest trade in NFL history. Known simply as "the trade," it involved 18 players in all, and established the Dallas Cowboys as the dominant team of the decade. In 1992, Walker finished seventh in the winter Olympics, two-man bobsled event.

He's a born-again Christian. And like every good Christian, Walker can't wait to get into a ring and knock the fuck out of a total stranger for money (and fame).

Walker is certainly still fit--he famously resisted lifting weights, instead focusing on calisthenics to maintain low body fat. In the very least, that's something that the last man to make headlines with a fight at BankAtlantic didn't have going for him. Now Walker will fight in the same ring where Kimbo Slice was completely exposed by a smoothie salesman. Here's hoping that at least the fight lasts longer than 15 seconds.